


Say You Still Need Me

by MasonOtonashi



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Vernon Boyd & Erica Reyes, Confessions, Emotional Constipation, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Retelling of Season 3A, Sarcasm, Slow Build, Training, alpha pack, comedic relief, fixed canon, semi-happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-22
Updated: 2016-08-22
Packaged: 2018-08-10 09:14:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7839076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MasonOtonashi/pseuds/MasonOtonashi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kanima’s, Stalkers, and Creepy(Crazy) Geriatric Hunters, oh my!</p><p>Stiles has had it up to here with everything that’s been going on in B-Hills lately, especially the fact that he was kidnapped by a freaking, old man and held hostage, and that Scott had apparently had some super cool plan to get rid of the dude, but he hadn’t deigned to let his best friend in on this super-secret plan. (There’s also the small matter of something about Derek’s betrayed expression burning a fire inside Stiles heart, because apparently Scott didn’t tell Derek the plan either, and Derek was a major fucking part of it.) So, what does he do? He goes to Derek.</p><p>“We have some training to do.” </p><p>Yep, you heard that right: training. </p><p>(also: Boyd and Erica are missing. It’s time to get their Scooby Doo on, bitch.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Say You Still Need Me

"Okay, I'm just going to start by apologizing for what Scott did. It probably won't mean anything, I don't know but, it has to be said…," Stiles continues to ramble, ignoring the way Derek rolls his eyes as he continued to stray away from what he really wanted to say.

After a few more seconds of Stiles sputtering out nonsense, Derek lifted his hand up, which Stiles took as his cue to stop talking.

"Stiles, I don't care," Derek began, his hand still in the air so that Stiles knows not to interrupt him. "It's in the past and what's done is done. There is nothing we can do about it and, I would much rather have Peter rip me to shreds then listen to you talk. So, if you don't mind, I would like you to leave because I have more important things to take care of."

The moment Derek stopped talking, he took it as a chance to make some sort of retort but instead, his mind began to process what Derek had just finished saying. 'More important things? What the hell does that mean?'

"Okay, fine, I'm sorry for feeling just a little bit of compassion for someone that we almost got killed," Stiles finished, turning around towards the exit, ready to storm out when he heard Derek say something.

"Stiles wait. Okay, look, I'm sorry for snapping at you but, tell Scott that everything is okay. Like I said, it's in the past, therefore, I no longer care," Derek sighed, running another hand through his hair. He looked up at the teen only to find him staring back at him.

"Apology accepted," Stiles smirked while Derek lets out a small sigh of relief, "But before I go, you said you had more 'important' things to worry about. What does that mean exactly?"

Derek didn't say anything but, instead raised an eyebrow at him, amused by how interested Stiles was all of a sudden about his personal life.

"Something for me to know and for you to find out," Derek says, dismissing the teen by pointing towards the door, telling him to leave.

"Hey, maybe I can help you," Stiles began, ignoring the fact that Derek clearly wanted him to leave. "You know, as a way to make up for what we did to you."

"Look Stiles, as much as I would _love_ your help, wait, never mind, I don't want your help so, if you mind, I would like it if you left and never came back," Derek says, signaling towards the door once more, ignoring the pout Stiles was currently giving him.

"Come on Derek, you and I both know that whatever you are working on, you can't do alone. Plus, who would be better at helping than me?" Stiles says, crossing his arms over his chest, waiting for Derek's response.

"I know a few people that I would much rather have helped me than you. So, now pay attention," He waits for Stiles to nod before continuing. "I. Don't. Want. Your. Help. Now leave before I rip your throat out with my teeth."

Stiles rolls his eyes, "You and I both know you wouldn't do that."

"And why wouldn't I?"

"Because Scott and everyone else would come after you like a dog going after a ball," Stiles says, internally slapping himself for using that reference but, he was right, Scott and everyone else would come after Derek and he was pretty sure they wouldn't stop until he was lying dead on the ground.

Derek ran another hand through his hair, exhaling loudly so that Stiles can know how frustrated he is.

"Fine but, you are not to tell anyone of what we are doing, understood," Derek says, turning around and walking towards the table in the center of the room.

Stiles internally pumps a fist into the air before running up to Derek's side, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Okay good, because I don't need any of Scott's pack messing this up," Derek says, grabbing a large piece of rolled up construction paper, laying it out on the table, placing random objects on every corner so that it doesn't roll back up.

"Is this a map of Beacon Hills? Are you planning on delivering drugs or something?" Stiles says, looking over the map, immediately noticing the red x's drawn on top of every other building on the outskirts of the city. "And what are all these marks?"

"I'm getting to that. Now, if you just let me explain-"

"Yeah, go on ahead big guy, tell me what I need to know," Stiles says, oblivious to the fact that he just cut Derek off mid-sentence.

Derek let out a sigh, "Like I was saying, I don't know if you've noticed but Erica and Boyd have gone missing."

"What?" Stiles asks, confused by what Derek means by 'missing.'

"Yes, a group of alpha's known as the 'Alpha Pack' came into Beacon Hills looking for me since I am the only alpha in this town," Derek says, looking through some papers.

"And how do you know that they are looking for you?" Stiles asks, looking over the map, identifying the places the x's are placed upon.

"Well, for one, they took two of my betas and threatened to kill me," Derek says, handing Stiles a piece of paper with a weird symbol on it.

Derek notices Stiles' confusion and says something before Stiles can ask what it is.

"It's their pack symbol. If you look over here," Derek says, motioning to the small green o's that Stiles failed to notice, "I found it carved into these two places. My family's old house and an old warehouse."

"Did you check if Erica and Boyd were there?" Stiles asks, looking at the small circles before bringing his attention back to the paper that Derek gave him.

"I did but, I didn't find anything useful. I tried to get some sort of scent but, they covered their tracks, well, minus the symbol the carved into both places." Derek continues to look through the papers before turning back to Stiles.

"So, do you still want to help because I am completely capable of doing this on my own?" Derek asks, watching Stiles as the teen continued to look over the map and the paper he handed him.

Stiles didn't respond right away, trying to take everything in. _'Erica and Boyd were missing and Scott and I had no idea? What type 'heroes' are they? Not that we were ever considered ourselves as heroes but still.'_

Stiles continued to look at the symbol in front of him before turning to Derek who was staring back at him.

"No, I'm going to help you and I can assure you that we will find them. No matter what it takes, I'll do whatever I can to help you find them," Stiles said, never once breaking eye contact with Derek.

Derek smirked at him, taking in what Stiles had just said before speaking himself.

"Good, then meet me at the reserve tomorrow, we have some training to do."

Stiles' eyes widened with confusion, "Training? For what?"

“I told you, this is a group of alphas that we are going up against and I can already tell you that we are going to have to fight them in the future, and like I said, you aren’t allowed to ask Scott or anyone else for their help. If we are going to do this, we are going to do this alone which means that we have to build up your endurance so that you can at least do some damage.” Derek says, walking towards the door, Stiles right behind him.

"What makes you think that I can't take care of myself now?" Stiles already knew what the older man was going to say so he instead raised a hand, "No, don't say anything. I'll meet you at the reserve tomorrow."

"Okay," Derek responded, ready to close the door behind Stiles before he heard what else the teen had to say.

"And don't worry, we'll get them back."

With that, Derek closed the door, already regretting the choices he's made.

~

Right after Stiles left Derek's loft he got a call from Scott. He let it ring for a few seconds before picking up.

"What's up?" Stiles answered, taking out his keys, unlocking his Jeep that was parked across the street from Derek's place.

 _"Dude, where have you been!? I tried calling you like three times!"_ Scott replied frantically on the other end.

"Yo, calm down, I went out to get some food. Sheesh, calm your shit bro." Stiles rolled his eyes as he started up the vehicle, waiting for it to heat up before driving off to actually get some food.

 _"Oh, sorry. I was just worried, it still isn't safe out there."_ Scott said, clearly embarrassed by his outburst.

"Don't worry about it, I'm fine, trust me," Stiles replied, pulling up into the drive-thru of his Dad's favorite Chinese place since he was sure that he hasn't eaten all day.

 _"Okay, do you want to hang out tomorrow? I can't really ask Allison if she wants to since I don't think she want's to talk to me, like, at all."_ Scott said, a tinge of sadness in his voice.

"Sorry bro, I have some stuff I have to do with my dad tomorrow. Why don't you ask Isaac to hang out with you?" Stiles said, quickly asking the lady working what he wanted before driving up the next window to wait for his food.

 _"Fine, but we better hang out next time."_ With that, the call was over and Stiles drove home after paying for his food.

As he got inside after parking his car, he was right when he assumed that his dad hadn't eaten all day. So, the two of them sat together, eating in silence before saying their goodbyes since his dad had a night shift. Taking that to his advantage, he began to search up everything he could about the alpha pack and what the symbol Derek showed him meant before passing out around two am, saying to himself that working out was the last thing he wanted to do later today.

~

"Ugh, why did you make me get up at six in the morning?" Stiles complains, yawning right afterward.

"Better now than later when it's over 100 degrees out here." Derek shrugged, ignoring Stiles' scowl. "Now, let's start off with a slow jog."

Not even a minute passed and Stiles already found himself way behind Derek who hadn't realized that Stiles was no longer by his side.

"You call that a slow jog!?!?" Stiles yells as he struggles to take out his inhaler, he then takes a huge inhale before running up to Derek who was waiting for him, hands folded over his chest.

"Now do you get why we need to do this?" Derek rolled his eyes as Stiles struggled to breathe, "Come on, we still have over a half a mile to go."

"Fine… but… you better… not run… as fast as you were… going…" It took Stiles another minute to even out his breath before finally jogging at Derek's side, this time at a slower pace than before.

Once they were done, Stiles' face was completely red, sweat dripping from his face to the ground while his shirt was moist front and back. As for Derek, he was completely dry, he looked exactly the same as before they even started jogging.

"How the hell are you not sweating? I bet it's a werewolf thing, isn't it? I hate you." Stiles says, taking a chug from his water bottle.

"No, it's called 'working out,' you should try it sometime." Derek chuckled as Stiles' face turned a dark shade of crimson.

"I work out!!" Stiles exclaimed, glaring at Derek who was now full on laughing. It was something that Stiles had never seen before and for some reason, a warm feeling spread throughout his chest while he felt a knot form in his stomach.

"Come on, let's do some simple exercises and tomorrow I can start teaching you some simple self-defense," Derek said, his smile completely wiped away and replaced with a look of seriousness.

Derek forced Stiles to do some simple leg routines as well as some arm and chest exercises. Of course, by the end of it, Derek was barely sweating which pissed Stiles off even more but, for some reason, the knot in his stomach still hadn't disappeared. Of course, it didn't help that Derek had basically been showing off his muscles the whole time.

It was around 10 AM when they finally finished their session and Stiles realized that Derek was right. It wasn't even noon yet but, he already began to feel the heat of the sun beating down on them which, Stiles used as his cue to leave.

"Meet me here tomorrow, same time," Derek said, picking up his water bottle from the ground.

Stiles just nodded before walking towards his car, oblivious to the fact that Derek was staring at him, even as he finally drove away.

~

The next day, Stiles woke up, wincing with every small movement that he made. It isn't until he tried t actually stand up did he cry in pain, causing his dad to rush into his room a few seconds later gun in hand.

"Jesus, what the hell is wrong with you, and why the hell are you up so early?" The Sheriff said, placing his gun on Stiles' desk, rubbing his temples.

"Nothing, just sore," Stiles said, letting out a pained groan as he finally stood up. "I was practicing lacrosse with Scott and it turned out to be more intense than I was hoping it to be."

"Oh, okay," His dad replied, examining the way Stiles winced with every step he made as he reached for his clothes.

"And why are you up so early?" He asked, still confused as to why his son was up at five AM.

"I'm going out for a jog," Stiles immediately noticed his dad's confusion before clarifying, "I'm going out for a jog with Isaac and Scott."

Even so, it didn't keep his dad from raising and eyebrow.

"You're going out for a jog in the condition you're in? I'm not an idiot Stiles," His father stated, crossing his arms.

"Yes, I'm going for a jog, now, if you excuse me, I need to get ready," Stiles said, pushing his dad out of the room, immediately regretting it the moment he closed the door because now if his body could speak, it would be screaming.

~

Luckily, Stiles managed to get to reserve without having to deal with any more questions from his dad. But, for some reason, on his way to the reserve, he already felt his stomach knot which was something he still couldn't explain.

Once he got out of his car, he walked to the same spot that he met up with Derek the day before, his eyes immediately widened when he saw Isaac standing there, talking to Derek who immediately turned to look at him once he picked up his heartbeat.

"What the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to hang out with Scott today!? Oh god, you didn't tell him did you!?!?" Stiles yelled, wincing as he ran up to the two of them, looking around frantically to see if Scott was around.

"No idiot, I didn't tell him. I simply told him that Derek needed to see me and that we could hang out later." Isaac rolled his eyes, turning back to Derek who was smirking. He noticed the way Derek was still staring at Stiles who was staring at the ground in embarrassment but, decided not to say anything.

Neither teen said anything after that and instead waited for Derek to tell them what to do.

"Well, let's start off with a jog. It will help stretch your muscles which will lessen the pain." Derek said, turning towards Stiles who was struggling to bend down to place his water bottle on the ground.

Stiles then felt the two of them staring at him and quickly decided to throw it to the ground, immediately looking up, ready to say something.

"Wait, why is Isaac here?" Stiles asked, looking between the two of them. "I mean, hello, you told me that it was only going to be the two of us."

"No Stiles, I said that we weren't going to get Scott involved but, if you remembered, Isaac is a part of my pack, therefore he is going to train and help us find Erica and Boyd." Derek rolled his eyes, turning around before jogging off.

Stiles' cheeks immediately turned red before following Derek, wincing in pain as he struggles to catch up to Derek, not noticing the weird looks Isaac was giving him.

Once they were done, Stiles was no longer in as much pain as he was before which means that Derek was right but, it still didn't mean that he didn't wince every time he had to lift his arms up or that his legs didn't burn every time he tried to sit down.

After a few sets of exercises, Derek turned to Isaac who was making small talk with Stiles and immediately roundhouse kicks him in the side, causing the teen to fall to the ground, face red as he winced in pain.

"What the hell!?!?" Isaac cried as he and Stiles turned to Derek, confused. "Why did you do that!?!?"

Derek shrugged and turned to Stiles, fists up and chuckled when the teen jumped back in fear.

"You're not gonna punch me, are you?" Stiles asked, taking another step back to avoid having Derek's fists collide with his face.

"No Stiles, I'm not gonna punch you, yet" Derek answered.

"Oh okay, wait, what?" Stiles was then interrupted by Derek who was immediately by his side.

"Hold your fists out like this," Derek said, showing Stiles what he needed to do, "Not put you right leg one step back, okay, there. Now you're in a simple fighting position."

"Okay," Stiles' cheeks burned red as Derek began to adjust certain parts of his body, his skin tingling with every touch.

"Good, now remember, if there is no weapon around, your fists will be the only thing that will determine whether or not you live or die," Derek stated, motioning Isaac to do the same as Stiles. "Obviously, there will be moments when you won't be able to rely on your powers to help you, that is why it's good to know the basics."

With that, Derek stood in front of Stiles, holding his palm out to him.

"Punch me," Derek said, noticing the confusion on Stiles' face.

"What?" Stiles asked, confused as to why Derek want him to punch him.

"Show me what you got. So, punch me." Derek said, this time in a more commanding tone.

"Okay…" Stiles responded, lifting his fists a little higher before thrusting his right fist forward.

With all the force he could muster, he forced his hand to collide as hard as he could to Derek's palm which didn't flinch at all, if anything, it stayed in the same position from before he punched it.

Stiles then heard Isaac burst out laughing, immediately causing Stiles' blood to boil as he looked back at Derek who was smiling back at him, ready to burst out laughing as well.

"You can't honestly tell me that that was your best," Derek said, holding back his laughter.

"Hey, let's see what you got big guy," Stiles said, clearly angry as he held his palm up, "Show me what you got. Let's see if you can do any better."

"I don't think that's a good idea-"

"Come on, show me what you got," Stiles interrupted him, waiting for Derek to get in position.

Derek let out a sigh before obliging to Stiles' command. He examined Stiles' palm before thrusting his arm forward, immediately causing Stiles to jump back in pain the moment his arm was fully extended.

"OW!!!" Stiles cried, clutching his hand close to his chest, "I think you broke my whole arm!"

With that, both Isaac and Derek burst out laughing, unable to contain themselves after witnessing Stiles' reaction.

After a few more moments of Derek and Isaac laughing while Stiles whined in the background, Derek finally walked to Stiles, asking him to give him his hand.

"What for?" Stiles asked, his hand still throbbing with pain.

"Just do it," Isaac said, forcing Stiles to extend his arm out, his hand completely red but no visible fracture or swelling.

With that, Derek reached out and covered Stiles' hand with his, the veins of his exposed forearm sucking up a black substance. Once he was done, Derek let go of Stiles' hand, watching the teen's reaction as Stiles jumped back, immediately examining his hand.

"Dude, what did you do? It doesn't hurt anymore," Stiles said, oblivious to the fact that his cheeks were bright red.

"He took away your pain," Isaac said, turning to look at Derek. _'What the hell?'_ He muttered before turning back to Stiles who was still staring at his hand as it was biggest curly fry he had ever seen.

Stiles' cheeks turned even redder as he processed what Isaac had just said. _'He took away my pain but, he took away my soreness as well.'_

Stiles then turned to look at Derek who was looking right back at him while Isaac wandered off to get his water bottle.

After a few more minutes of silence, they finally got back on track and started to work in basic self-defensive. All of which consisted of Stiles blushing constantly, Derek staring at Stiles every now and then when he thought no one was looking and Isaac giving the two of the questionable looks.

And that's how it went for the next two weeks. Stiles going to Scott's house to pick up Isaac every morning before heading off to the reserve where Derek would be waiting for them, always ready do go on another jog. Not only that but, Stiles' endurance and strength was clearly improving which meant that he could now also beat Isaac's ass when it came to self-defense.

Of course, it is during this time that Stiles comes to terms with the fact that yes, maybe he is developing for the guy he calls sourwolf and yes, it is completely tearing him apart on the inside because he can't talk to anyone about it and, more importantly: HE HAS A CRUSH ON DEREK FREAKING HALE! All of which he knows won't end well for him because he knows that Derek straight as hell so he decides to stick with the matter at hand, even if it means ignoring his feeling.

So, it is only until both Derek and Isaac decide that Stiles is capable of taking care of himself that they head to Derek's loft where they try to come up with ways to get Erica and Boyd back from the alpha pack which, for some reason, seemed to be laying low. Of course, there are days where Stiles can't go to Derek's and is forced to work at the police station where he discovers that the alpha pack is, in fact, active since minor reports of wolves killing innocent pedestrians pop up every so often.

Even so, it takes a while until they can develop an actual idea of where the alpha pack is staying, especially since they are constantly moving. Of course, they never seem to leave a mark. The only two places they have left evidence behind is at the old Hale house and the warehouse on the outskirts of town.

It isn't until Stiles catches a glimpse of them on one of the street cameras that he discovers a pattern in their movements. He, of course, had to stay up for over a week watching street cameras in order to finally figure out what he needed to know. So it's on that day that he finally figures out the pattern that he bursts into Derek's loft at 11 PM, causing the older man to almost jump out and rip his throat out.

"OH MY GOD DEREK!!! COULDN'T YOU HEAR ME COMING UP HERE!?!?" Stiles exclaims once Derek is completely off of him, his face displaying a deep shade of crimson.

"Well, maybe next time, why don't you try ringing the doorbell. It is there for a reason," Derek answers, clearly annoyed before walking towards the sofa on the side of the room. "Now, what is it?"

Stiles notices the way Derek rubs his eyes and he begins to realize that the older man is clearly having a hard time sleeping due to the pain of knowing that part of his pack could potentially be dead by now. So, instead, he decides to comfort him.

"Are you okay?" Stiles asks, sitting down next Derek on the sofa, immediately noticing how comfortable it is.

"Yeah, why?" Derek asks, clearly confused by what Stiles was trying to accomplish.

Stiles thinks about what he wants to say carefully, not wanting to push Derek away when he has the chance to finally make Derek open up to him.

"I just wanted to know how you are doing with the whole 'Erica and Boyd' are missing," Stiles says, staring at the ground as he speaks.

Derek doesn't say anything but, instead looks out the window, almost as if he is waiting for Stiles to say something else.

Once Stiles realizes that Derek isn't going to say anything, he comes up with something else to say. He really doesn't want to blow his chance right now, especially now that he is so close to the guy that he has been drooling over for the past few weeks.

"I remember reading online that losing a member of your pack is a feeling worse than simply losing someone you love, that it's like losing a physical part of you. Is that true? Are you afraid of losing Erica and Boyd?" Stiles asks, this time turning to look at Derek who was simply looking out the window.

Stiles continues to stare a Derek, admiring the older man's features, more specifically the sharpness of his jaw, the stubble that is now where near long enough to be considered a beard, the way his eyes reflect the light of the moon, and his pink lips that Stiles wishes would press against his own.

While taking in Derek's features, Stiles doesn't notice that he is now way closer than he was before and that Derek is now staring back at him, making no attempt to push Stiles away as they stare deep into each others eyes.

Once they are close enough that Derek can feel Stiles' breath against his skin, he finally decides to say something.

"Yes Stiles, I am afraid. I'm afraid of losing Erica and Boyd because…," Derek pauses, deciding whether or not he should actually continue but, he immediately decides to keep going. "because they are all I have left. I've already lost my family and if I lose them too, I'll be alone again."

Stiles doesn't say anything and instead just looks at Derek, his heart racing as he realizes that Derek Hale is actually opening up to him and it's the best thing that could have ever happened to him. He then processes Derek's words once more before saying something.

"That's not true," Stiles says.

Derek looks at him, confused, "How's that?"

"Because you will never be alone. You'll never be alone because you Scott and everyone else," Stiles pauses before continuing, "And, more importantly, you'll have me. You can always count on my to be here for you."

Stiles can feel his eyes begin to water as Derek gives him a soft smile. It only takes a few seconds until they are leaning forward and Derek now has a hand on Stiles' cheek while Stiles begins to wrap his arm Derek's neck.

They continue to lean forward, losing themselves in each other eyes until they both decide to close them as they yearn for the contact, that is until the door to Derek's loft bursts open and standing there is Isaac, panting as Stiles jumps away from Derek, his cheeks burning while Derek displays a deep frown.

"Why are you here Isaac?" Derek asks, standing up, anger lacing the tone of his voice as he walks up to the teen who didn't notice that he and Stiles were having a moment.

"I texted him. I wanted him to be here while I tell you guys what I figured out," Stiles says, standing up and moving towards the table before unrolling the map of Beacon Hills, smoothing it out on the table. Soon after, Derek and Isaac join him, ready to pay attention to whatever Stiles has to say.

"I spent the whole week looking over street cameras and I found multiple pieces of footage of the alpha pack moving around town and you were right Derek, they do move around town but, the thing is, they always follow the same pattern," Stiles began to point towards every individual "X" on the map, 14 in total. "They move location every single day but, they never move around with Erica and Boyd, it is always the five of them. So I'm guessing that they have them locked up in one place but, it is never all five of them that move together."

"And what does that mean?" Isaac asks, examining the different spots that Stiles pointed at.

"It means that even that they take shifts. A few of them move around location while someone is left to look after Erica and Boyd to make sure they don't do anything." Stiles says, looking at Derek. "Tell me, what do all these places have in common?"

"Not much really," Derek says, having trouble following along, unlike Isaac who is completely lost.

"Well, I did some research on every one of the places you have marked down and they are all abandoned. Abandoned hotel complexes, abandoned shops, abandoned restaurants, abandoned warehouses, you get what I'm saying. They stay in places where they know no one will go wandering around at night," Stiles says, once again pointing out the different places before picking up a yellow highlighter from the opposite side of the table, popping the cap off before asking another question.

"Look at all these buildings we know that their abandoned but, if you look closely, there are three other buildings that are abandoned but, are not marked down," Stiles says, immediately circling three different areas in the downtown area of Beacon Hills. "Why is that Derek?"

"I checked those places and didn't find any evidence of them being there," Derek responded, his head already going in a million different directions.

"Exactly because they don't want you to know that they've been there before. Like you said, they are really good at covering their tracks." Stiles responds, smiling and hoping that the two of them are catching on.

"Then Erica and Boyd must be there," Isaac exclaims, pointing at the three new circles that Stiles drew. "They must be in one of the buildings."

"Exactly!" Stiles says before picking up a red marker, popping the lid off before speaking. "But, if you look closely, another thing that all the places they've stayed at have in common is that they are an equal distance away from each other. They are not too close that they will be spotted and, they aren't that far away from each other for it to take them a long time to move from building to building."

Stiles then moves his hand over the tree yellow circles before continuing.

"The thing about the old abandoned mansion is that it is way too close to this old abandoned factory so we can cross that out," Stiles immediately crosses it with a giant "X", "and the thing about the abandoned elementary school is that it is way to close to the abandoned hotel which leaves-"

"THE BANK!" Isaac exclaimed, taking a green marker and circling it.

"EXACTLY!" Stiles exclaims, turning to Derek who is examining the map, making sure that what Stiles was saying is correct. Once he realizes that what Stiles has figured out is true, he looks up and starts smiling, a genuine smile painted across his face.

"Well, now that we found them, what are we going to do, we can't just burst in there?" Isaac says, turning to Stiles, "And we can't ask Scott for help either."

"Don't worry about that," Stiles replies, a smile plastered onto his face, "I'm pretty sure that the Argents would be happy to help us out."

Isaac looks between Derek and Stiles, confused as to what the teen mean before Stiles finally clarifies it for him.

"Guilt is a bitch that we have on our side," Stiles says and with that, they decide to end the meeting there, Stiles and Isaac heading out into the night as the anticipate what the morning has in store for them.

~

In the morning, the skip their training completely and immediately head to the Argent's, Stiles knocking on the door until a tired Chris Argent appears, his face immediately displaying regret and sadness as his eyes land on Derek.

"Good morning," Stiles says, "We need your help."

Knowing that there is no way that he could reject helping Derek after what he did, he agrees to which Stiles tells him to meet them at Derek's loft with all the traps they have. Without asking questions, Chris agrees, closing the door which they take as their cue to leave.

~

"What exactly do you want us to do?" Allison asks, adjusting her crossbow before turning around towards Stiles, "And why do you need all our traps?"

"I don't know if you know this but, a pack of alphas have come to Beacon Hills and have taken Erica and Boyd captive and we need your help to get them back," Stiles says, motioning towards the table with the map laid out. "Let me explain what we need to you to do."

Allison walks up to the table, her father joining them a second later with a gun in hand.

Stiles then begins to explain how the Alpha pack never stay in the same place twice and that they follow a specific pattern that they follow every two weeks. He then explains that he need them to set traps in every single building so that they have nowhere to stay which will hopefully confuse them long enough to get to the bank. He then explains that there is always a bodyguard that will be guarding the bank, meaning that while they will need to take whoever is there out or at least stun them long enough to complete the rescue. Stiles then begins to go more into the specifics while Derek and Isaac examine the assortment of weapons laid out before them.

Once Stiles is done explaining, it doesn't take much to convince them to help them out. He is also happy that Allison is completely fine with not telling Scott because it seems to him that everyone sort of has it out for him at the moment.

Once they are done discussing last minute details, Stiles hands Allison and Chris lists of the places they need to set traps in. After that, they all head off to get as much done as they can.

~

The next day, to Stile's surprise, the first part of the plan was a success. All the traps were set and the Alpha's were now on the move from building to building trying to find refuge. Now, time was crucial as they now need to rush in and save Erica and Boyd as has as they can but, before they go they study the bank's blueprints.

"We'll get in through the back in the vents, the only problem that there is definitely not enough room for Derek to punch a hole through the wall," Stiles says.

"I can definitely punch through the wall," Derek counters, turning to Stiles.

"We're walking about maybe three inches between your fist and the wall, there is now way you can punch through the solid stone wall without the momentum needed to do so," Stiles says, turning to Derek who has his arms crossed over his chest.

"Okay big guy, show us then," Stiles says, ignoring the unamused looks he is receiving from everyone in the room.

"Stiles, we are not doing this again," Derek says, remembering how the same thing happened on their first day of Derek trying to teach Stiles self-defense.

"No, I don't care, I highly doubt you can do it so, come on, show me what you got," Stiles says, holding his palm up while also grabbing a hold of Derek's fist, making sure that there is, in fact, three inches of space between them.

Before Stiles could say anything, Derek punches his palm, causing immediate pain to rush through his whole which causes him to let out a cry of pain. He cheeks turning red as everyone in the room begins to laugh.

"Okay fine, you can do it," Stiles says, clutching his hand. "Oh, yeah, we will be setting off wolfsbane bombs to weaken the alphas if they try to stop us and will be used to put Erica and Boyd asleep since, like you said, they have been trapped in there during two full moons so I would suggest that you guys get out of there as fast as you can and let me, Allison, and Chris take care of the rest. We just need you to make sure that nothing keeps us from getting them out safely."

"Okay." Both Derek and Isaac say in agreement.

With that, they all make their way towards the exit before Stiles pulls Derek off to the side.

"I promise, we'll get them back."

~

Like Derek said, he could break through the wall with his fist but, to his surprise, it was just Erica and Boyd locked in the cage but another girl that Stiles' wasn't familiar with but, he knew that in seeing her, something in Derek snapped because the moment the bombs went off, he rushed in and grabbed her the moment she feels unconscious, ignoring everything else about the mission.

Not long after, the alphas showed up but were immediately weakened because, by the time they arrived, wolfsbane had already consumed the bank whole. So they managed to sneak out both Erica and Boyd out before any permanent damage was done to them which he can't say the same for the female alpha that was guarding the cage for she was in between three bombs that consumed her almost immediately.  
  
But, for them, it meant that it was one less person they had to go against in the end.

~

It take almost a week for Erica, Boyd and the girl who Stiles now knows goes by the name of Cora, Derek's younger sister to recover due to all the wolfsbane they inhaled but, it was worth it in the end because Stiles was able to keep his promise to Derek that he was going to help him get his pack back

But, after being told by Chris that Derek now needed time to get his pack in order, Stiles managed to keep his distance which brought Stiles pain, especially since he was now so used to waking up early and meeting up with Derek to train in the morning and the being able to eat lunch. Now, he has to convince himself that it's all over and that Derek will no longer want to spend time with him. Why would he? Stiles was simply a guy who felt guilty and needed to make amends.

Knowing this, Stiles struggled throughout the week because he didn't want to simply give up someone that he can honestly say he fell in love with. But, he knew he had to because it was always meant to be one-sided.

So, at the end of the week when Scott asked him to go with him to get his congratulatory tattoo for not talking to Allison for four months, he was more than happy to do so because he just needed something, anything to keep his mind off of Derek.

Of course, it doesn't go as planned because the moment Scott arrives he can't stop talking about how he helped Derek get Erica and Boyd back along with his sister from the Alpha pack. All of which leads to him rambling about how great Derek is and how genuine he is once you get to know him.

It isn't until Scott's tattoo heals that Stiles realizes that he now has to go and face the person that he was supposed to be getting over these past few days.

So, once they arrive at Derek's place, Scott immediately apologizes for what he did to him while Stiles stands behind him, looking everywhere that isn't Derek who hasn't taken his eyes off of him.

~

Once Derek is done fixing Scott's tattoo he pulls Stiles to the side before the teen has a chance to leave the room.

"Stiles," Derek starts, his hand wrapped around Stiles bicep which makes the teen's surge with heat, "I need to talk to you."

Stiles doesn't say anything and instead just nods, too afraid of what he might say the moment he opens his mouth.

So, Derek and Stiles say goodbye to Scott before heading off to Derek's loft and it takes Stiles a moment to realize that none else is there and that it is just him and Derek. Fucking great.

Before Stiles can come up with an excuse for why can't stay, Derek starts talking and he finds himself getting lost in the older man's voice.

"I just wanted to thank you for helping me get Erica and Boyd back," Derek says, "And, to be honest, I didn't think you would actually pull through."

"Wow, thanks," Stiles says, rolling his eyes, still unable to look the older man in the eye.

"But, I want you to know that what you said back then, really meant a lot to me," Derek says, this time looking everywhere but Stiles.

"I'm happy it does because I meant it," Stiles says, finally looking up at Derek who was now looking right back at him. "If we didn't find them, I just want you to know what I would have still been with you. You'll never truly be alone as long as I'm around."

Before he can even take a second to process what he's doing, Stiles takes a few steps forward until he's right in front of Derek, still talking.

"I want you to know that I do care about you," Stiles says, looking up at Derek who is now staring deep into his eyes, their faces only a few inches apart for he can now feel Derek's breath against his skin.

Before Derek can think about how she should respond, he immediately says, "I care about you too."

With that, the space between them gets smaller and smaller until their noses are barely touching, as their breath grazes against each others skin.

"Before this goes any further, I want you to tell me something," Stiles says, staring back into Derek's eyes.

"Yes?" Derek responds.

"Say that you still need me," Stiles says closing his eyes, fear consuming him as he waits for Derek's answer. "That even though we no longer have a reason to hang out, that you still need me by your side."

Derek didn't say anything, instead, he simply looked into Stiles' eyes, looking for reassurance. He found what he was looking for.

"I still need you, Stiles,"

The words escaped his lips, sending chills through Stiles' body while a warm feeling filled Derek's chest. All while they finally closed the distance between them. After a short while, they finally broke apart.

"Good, because I still need you." Stiles finally says as Derek closes the distance again, their lips interlocking while their bodies surge with heat as they yearn for each others touch. All of which results in Stiles' wrapping his arms around Derek's neck and Derek holding Stiles close.

They continue to enjoy each others touch as the phrase echoes inside their minds.

_"I still need you."_


End file.
